Elliott leaving Parx Racing to lead new Caribbean track

Sunday will be Sam Elliott’s final day as director of racing at Parx Racing. On Tuesday, he will begin a new phase of his career as the chief executive of the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club, an under-construction racetrack scheduled to open in the eastern Caribbean in 2019.

Elliott, who has been at Parx a little more than three years, is taking a leap of faith that the project will succeed. He has yet to visit Saint Lucia, a 35-mile-long island nation northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique that is much closer to Venezuela than the United States.

“I’ve always liked international racing and always kind of wanted an international post,” Elliott said. “I’m ready for something challenging. It’s going to be exciting.”

While moving to Saint Lucia to open a racetrack sounds risky, the project is well funded. Elliott’s new employer is Desert Star Holdings, an affiliate of the deeppocketed China Horse Club, which will be represented in the Kentucky Derby by Justify and Audible.

The China Horse Club is an Asian-based lifestyle, business, and Thoroughbred racing club that offers members elite international travel and cultural experiences. According to its website, members also have “investment opportunities across a range of industries, including real estate, commercial business, elite Thoroughbred stallions and mares, as well as racehorse prospects.”

The Saint Lucia Turf Club is part of a $2.6 billion resort complex that will include hotel, casino, residential, and retail development. The island’s deepwater port will be expanded to accommodate the newest and largest cruise ships.

Elliott met Teo Ah Khing (toe-ah-king), chairman of the China Horse Club, in September when the CHC ran Abel Tasman in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx. He has since accompanied him to the Breeders’ Cup, Pegasus World Cup, and Florida Derby.

“We talked about general plans in Saint Lucia, and he said, ‘I think it would be a good idea if you came to work here,’ ” Elliott said.

Elliott’s first task at the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club will be to oversee construction of the racing surface, barns, and grandstand. A major part of his job will be recruiting horses from South America, the United States, and Europe to race there.

Elliott, 60, has held many positions in the sport. He was the vice president of racing at Suffolk Downs from 2008 to 2014, the last true season at the Boston-area track.

Under Elliott’s watch, Parx has made notable progress. Although much remains to be done – think high-definition television, lower takeout, and a revised wagering menu – during the last three years, updates have been made to the paddock, walking ring, and winner’s circle, a safety rail has been installed, and the inside part of the racing surface has been leveled.

“Now you can come up the rail,” Elliott said. “Nobody used to do that.”

Parx averaged 8.15 horses per race last year, and the Bensalem, Pa., track had average daily handle of approximately $1.6 million. According to Elliott, “It’s up about a horse per race since I came here.” Average handle was about $1.3 million in 2014, he said.

The Pennsylvania Derby was recognized as a Grade 1 last year after the 2016 edition drew five horses who were Grade 1 winners or went on to win a Grade 1 – Connect, Cupid, Exaggerator, Gun Runner, and Nyquist.

“I view recruiting as a yearround job,” Elliott said.

Although it has yet to be determined how many days the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club will race in 2019, opening day is tentatively set for Chinese New Year, Feb. 5. The China Horse Club is planning a large celebration.

“My leaving has nothing to do with Parx,” Elliott said. “I’ve enjoyed my time here. But I’m glad to have this opportunity and am ready to try something different.”

Divisidero in three-peat bid?

Two-time Grade 1 winner Divisidero is on the verge of beginning his 6-year-old season, but trainer Kelly Rubley and owner Tom Keithly are still discussing whether he will attempt to keep his Kentucky Derby Day win streak at Churchill Downs intact.

Divisidero has won the last two runnings of the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on Derby Day at Churchill. As a 3-year-old, Divisidero won the Grade 2 American Turf on the Kentucky Derby card.

Divisidero was trained by Buff Bradley during his first three seasons, but this winter he was sent to Rubley, who is now the principal trainer for Keithly’s Gunpowder Fams. Divisidero has worked seven times since March 11 at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. He was timed in 1:13 for six furlongs over the Tapeta track last Saturday.

Divisidero was racing fit before his prior Derby Day starts, but this year would not have the benefit of a prep race.

“He came into Fair Hill in January,” Rubley said. “He had been swimming but basically was coming out of the field.

“There have been no hiccups, and he’s taken all the steps forward that we’ve asked in his training. The question is, since it took a while to get him back to racing condition, do we start him off in the Kentucky race, or do we plan out a yearlong campaign for him?”

Now named the Old Forester Turf Classic, the $500,000 race has been run annually since 1987. Besides Divisidero, the only two-time winners are Wise Dan, who turned the trick in 2013 and 2014 for trainer Charlie LoPresti, and Einstein, who took back-toback runnings in 2008 and 2009 for Helen Pitts.

Rubley began training in 2014 and has about 50 horses at Fair Hill. In addition to Keithly, she trains for The Elkstone Group and West Point Thoroughbreds.

“I certainly have big shoes to fill with this horse, but I appreciate the opportunity,” Rubley said. “He’s carrying good weight, and he looks wonderful.”

On Tuesday at Parx Racing, Rubley and Keithly pulled off a $35.20 upset with Papa Zulu in a second-level optionalclaiming race.